The St. Regis San Francisco, California - Hotel Review

Art and Soul: Thinking Forward in San Francisco

By Alain Gayot

Airy
and sleek room of The St. Regis San Francisco in California

With
a South of Market setting in an area once known for its
Skid Row aesthetic, the Yerba Buena Arts District is now
a hot destination. As is always the case in trend-setting
neighborhoods, it was only a matter of time before gentrification
arrived. In this instance it made a grand entrance, in
the form of The
St. Regis San Francisco. To its credit, The St. Regis
brought more than just trademark service and luxury, making
an earnest effort to assimilate into San Francisco's eclectic,
artsy architectural society.

By
topping the early 20th-century Williams Building with
an eye-catching contemporary tower, The St. Regis symbolizes
San Francisco, a city that adores its own history but
never lets history encumber innovation. It incorporates
commissioned artwork—from Masayuki Nagase's white
marble Minna Street Fountain, based on traditional Asian
folding screens, to laser-cut Australian lace wood in
the guestrooms—and by doing so deserves its location
adjacent to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Asian-inspired
Minna St. Fountain

The
Williams Building section is home to the hotel's
big draw, the 9,000-square-foot Remède Spa, offering
Champagne, truffles and customized treatments. We ranked Terra in Sonoma County among our 2004
Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S., and we think highly
of the St. Regis venture, whose Japanese and Italian influences
result in pleasant surprises, such as the startling contrast
of delicate sea bream atop rich monkfish liver, and Chawan
mushi (Japanese egg custard) with Maine lobster, sea urchin
and mitsuba sauce, which we predict will become a signature
dish.

Complementing
the hotel's forward thinking design are spacious, subdued
accommodations, whose merger of white and linen sets a
soothing tone. Of the 260 guestrooms, 42 are suites, and
all come with 42" recessed plasma TVs, WiFi access,
iPod ports and 24-hour St. Regis butler service. An additional
102 private residences inhabit the 22nd to 40th floors,
and although guests and tenants have exclusive access
to numerous amenities, The St. Regis is no elitist, since
Remède Spa and most of the artwork are available
for all San Franciscans to enjoy.